THE NEW YORKER RéCéNT BOOKS Englislz, Murder-TIle Bierce l'v1ytlt-A Gra- cious Anzbassador-Footligltts West of Broadway ^ FTER a lot of clatter about Ambrose Bierce, it seems to me that Carey McWilliams finally has done the man justice in his new bi- ography. Bierce was unfortunate in having too many enemies while he lived and too many friends after his death. He has become the centre of a cult; labelled the "greatest Ameri- can genius" and placed among the martyrs. After readìng a great deal of misdirected praise of Bierce, the un- professional reader IS sometimes discon- certed and annoyed to discover that much of his writing is either outmoded in style and material or almost un- readable. Now Mr. Mcv'lilliams, in addition to writing a careful, complete, and sane life of the man, makes some excellent critical points. Bierce was, first of all, a journalist-and I don't mean "only a journalist." He was, in a shoddy, shifty age, an honest, capable news- paperman with decent standards and the soul of an artist. To me, such praise is higher than making the man a martyred genius. All the confusion about Bierce's place in literature arises I We sa,,,," promoter Dempsey promoting from the fact that journa ism, partic- our crab meat à la Dewey t"other night. ularly critical journalism, is not rated What with its mushrooms, green pep- as a field for an artist. That is to say, pers, sweet cream and sherry wine ðauce, no wonder it was a sellout" Jack. a man who writes a few second-rate We"re glad you liked it. A1" Ù1>, . ; : . 7f ;;: :.<. : < .,'"""" " 'N ".' ".::: <ríf;;n ;;./) .f;",c;,þ{-:.. 'Ii; < -:::;?!Y:. 'T<"'" ,. Always. Qpe Breakfa8t;Luu Ji ' ;J":,ë:;,- ... ".;.' ';" ';<: ';'; ' ,'.. e:())); QiIÚl :r; ct\:f t1'he tre, .":; ' . : .--/ ,- : .", } -, Mad:jøoD Ave. at,,'59th.__Broadway ai' 818t, , "- .' ." .'., "'" ;)-.... . -.- - _.. :: ;; : ::; :tt : : ;;:s;!;; ' T HE interest of a biography is by no means in pro- portion to the impor- tance of the hero. No biography of a great lawyer would be half such good reading as "For the Defence," Ed ward Ma joribanks' story of Sir Marshall Hall. Even his biog- rapher, who had great personal regard for Hall, concedes that Hall was hardly even a good lawyer, since he was weak- est in those cases that required extensive legal knowledge. Hall, however, was an extraordinarily fine counsel for the defence, a magnetic actor, and a fine advocate. He was a courtroom idol, the "Apollo of Old Bailey," and those of you who know your. English mur- ders will remember the figure of the handsome Hall, who so often un- ravelled the web WOVen by the English Sherlocks. He was a very Philo Vance . . of crime. He collected fine jewelry, speculated in rare plate, and went in for sports. No mention is made' of Mozart quartets. Surely a strange knight to become involved in the des- v tinies of a Sedden or a George Joseph Smith. Mr. Majoribanks' engrossing book is a biography only in a casual way. His chapters on the personal misfor- tunes of Sir Marshall are told in the manner of a sympathetic friend; he attempts no analysis of why such a handsome and gifted gentleman chose to make his career in the dankest reaches of English life. Perhaps the explanation is obvious: who wouldn't like to be either a sleuth or a criminal lawyer? The book is, however, a splendid series of Third Acts, wi th the scene inevitably laid in the courtroom. Mr. Ma joribanks, in a long list of famous cases, gives you the, events that led to the climax and shows you how Hall found the secret spring that opened the trap. He wasn't, of course, al- ways successful, but he was al ways resourceful, dramatic, and merciful. This quality of innate kindness-and in some of his letters you see it mani- fest itself in sentimental- ity-gave zest and sincer- ity to his performances in court. F or the connoisseur of murder, I need only mention that, among others, Mr. Majoribanks gives Hall's side of the George Joseph Smith case (he drowned 'em in bathtubs); the Emily Dimmock murder (courtroom sketches of Wood, the defendant, are reprinted in the book); and the Green Bicycle case (in which, you know, a raven figured most gruesomely). Also, all the murders are English, with the ex- ception of the Lock Ah Tam and Fahmy cases, and a real, first-class London killing is the strangest, most haunting, most sleep-disturbing crime in the world. And by far the best reading. 65 oJ::- RE:08 N3 '- , . , , LILY DA IIT A: . fl (Drawn by Miss Damita) "Délicieuse!'" says New York of Mlle. Damita. 'Délici use!" says Mlle. Da- mita of our Chef"s enchanting Reuben- ola. You are both correct, Lily; we'H tell the cock-eyed world. JACK DONAHUE: . Can it be that toting those Teutonic gentlemen about, as you so entertain. ingly do in "Sons 0' Guns,," has so in- creased your appreciation of real German cooking that we observe your ordering so consistently of Reuben'8 real Vaterland victuals" of late" Jack? What do you mean, "Mizpah?" Mahl- zeit! ! JACK DEMPSEY: